Should Private Firm Handle National Broadband Alerts?

A plan to have a private company build a nationwide broadband network for emergency response agencies wasn't the perfect solution for two members of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, but it was the best compromise available, they told a group of public safety communications officers Tuesday.

The FCC on July 31 set the conditions for spectrum to be auctioned by early next year in the 700MHz band, and that plan includes about 22MHz of spectrum for a broadband network to be built by the winning bidder of 10MHz of commercial spectrum that will be married with 12MHz set aside for emergency response agencies such as police and fire departments.

FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein told the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International (APCO), meeting in Baltimore this week, that his preference was to have the U.S. government pay for a nationwide, interoperable public safety network. But advocates of such a network have been calling for one for years without it happening.

Disasters such as the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina showed the holes in public safety communications, Adelstein said, speaking to APCO by video. A shared commercial and public safety network "really presented the only viable option for us at the commission," he said.

Calls for a nationwide, interoperable broadband network for public safety agencies have intensified since the terrorist attacks, when many public safety agencies couldn't communicate with each other because they were using multiple communications devices operating on different parts of the radio spectrum. In late 2005, Congress passed a law requiring U.S. television stations using channels 52 to 69 to move to digital broadcasts and the spectrum in the 700MHz band.

The FCC takes its obligation to public safety communications seriously, Adelstein added. "This isn't a [public relations] effort; it's about saving lives," he said.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, speaking at APCO earlier in the day, said he would have preferred a network dedicated to public safety agencies instead of one that will be shared with commercial traffic. "However, the reality is that there currently is not enough funding," Martin said. "The use of a public safety-private partnership, however, creates an opportunity to provide state-of-the-art technologies to you in a timely and affordable manner."

Martin praised APCO for its support of the FCC's decision on the 700MHz spectrum. The FCC will need continued support to make sure the auctions and broadband network are a success, he said.

APCO President Wanda McCarley, in turn, praised her members for driving forward the idea of a public safety network with policymakers. A few people can make a difference, she said during an awards lunch at the APCO convention.

"I remember the days sitting in a [communications] center when you feel quite powerless to make a change," she said. "But what you do is changing the face of public safety communications."